David Gilliland prides himself on his tenacity and persistence. But two years ago, even he figured his goal of reaching the pinnacle of stock car racing, NASCAR's Nextel Cup series, would go unfulfilled. "At that point I was 28 and I thought, `Why am I doing this?'" he said. The Riverside, Calif., native had a winning record in NASCAR's western minor leagues but a Cup ride had eluded him. "I was probably going to quit racing," he said, even though being a Cup driver "had been a dream of mine...

NASCAR's premium on winning has provided much giddy-up in the first eight races of the season: Eight races, seven winners, as the boys (and girl) come back from Easter break to give it a go at Richmond. The Chase scramble is among the storylines knotted together as we go forward to establish the field for the playoffs after the 26th race of the season. Here's my top five: Will Jeff Gordon win a race? He might need to despite the fact that he is first in...

NASCAR already has kicked Martin Truex Jr. out of the Chase for the Cup, and now it is investigating whether Joey Logano received help in order to make the Chase. According to USA Today, Logano's Penske Racing team might have cut a deal with Front Row Motorsports and David Gilliland at Richmond on Saturday night to help Logano better his position. Penske and Front Row are both Ford teams and considered partners. USA Today released radio communication between the two teams, which...

NASCAR already has kicked Martin Truex Jr. out of the Chase for the Cup, and now it is investigating whether Joey Logano received help in order to make the Chase. According to USA Today, Logano's Penske Racing team might have cut a deal with Front Row Motorsports and David Gilliland at Richmond on Saturday night to help Logano better his position. Penske and Front Row are both Ford teams and considered partners. USA Today released radio communication between the two teams, which...

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson practiced at Infineon Raceway, a 1.99-mile road course in Napa Valley wine country, for the first time Saturday after their Chevrolets, which were parked by NASCAR on Friday for having oversized front fenders, were repaired and passed a second inspection. Gordon, the only five-time winner of this race and its defending champion, and Johnson also must start Sunday's Toyota/SaveMart 350 at the rear. Their team owner, Rick Hendrick, said the infractions weren't...

Part 2 : continues.... 1 JAMIE MCMURRAY, Chevrolet Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates WHERE HE STANDS: 19th, 39 points out of the top 10. Lost five spots last week. POCONO RECORD: Finished 10th in the spring race a year ago for his fourth top-10 finish in 20 starts. LOOKING AHEAD: McMurray said he is "looking forward to Pocono this week. We had a top-10 finish at this race last year and hopefully we can improve on that. We have had really good cars the last...

The Sports Xchange By Bob Moore, The Sports Xchange Ragan stuns Edwards to win at Talladega TALLADEGA, Ala. -- In one of the greatest upsets in NASCAR history, David Ragan, with drafting help from Front Row Motorsports teammate David Gilliland, passed Carl Edwards on the final lap Sunday, then held off Edwards and Gilliland to win the rain-delayed Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. A wild nine-car melee with six laps to go resulted in an even wilder green-white-checkered...

The Sports Xchange By Bob Moore, The Sports Xchange Ragan stuns Edwards to win at Talladega TALLADEGA, Ala. -- In one of the greatest upsets in NASCAR history, David Ragan, with drafting help from Front Row Motorsports teammate David Gilliland, passed Carl Edwards on the final lap Sunday, then held off Edwards and Gilliland to win the rain-delayed Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. A wild nine-car melee with six laps to go resulted in an even wilder green-white-checkered...

Saturday's Busch series race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, the USG Durock 300, will be bigger than most on that tour because of the presence of one driver. David Gilliland, of Riverside, Calif., pulled what has been called the biggest upset in the history of the series when, out of nowhere, on a shoestring budget, the 30-year-old won the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway on June 17. In an era of teenage prodigies riding well-charted careers and strong financing to the top, Gilliland is...

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson practiced at Infineon Raceway, a 1.99-mile road course in Napa Valley wine country, for the first time Saturday after their Chevrolets, which were parked by NASCAR on Friday for having oversized front fenders, were repaired and passed a second inspection. Gordon, the only five-time winner of this race and its defending champion, and Johnson also must start Sunday's Toyota/SaveMart 350 at the rear. Their team owner, Rick Hendrick, said the infractions weren't...

NASCAR's premium on winning has provided much giddy-up in the first eight races of the season: Eight races, seven winners, as the boys (and girl) come back from Easter break to give it a go at Richmond. The Chase scramble is among the storylines knotted together as we go forward to establish the field for the playoffs after the 26th race of the season. Here's my top five: Will Jeff Gordon win a race? He might need to despite the fact that he is first in...

During the 49th annual Daytona 500 auto race Sunday, you can keep your eye on the M&M's Ford (driven by David Gilliland) or on the Jack Daniel's Chevrolet (driven by Clint Bowyer). You can follow the Domino's Pizza Toyota (driven by David Reutimann) or the Miller Lite Dodge (driven by Kurt "No Relation to Anheuser" Busch). You can cheer for the Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge (driven by Bobby Labonte) or, my absolute favorite, the Little Debbie Snack Cake Ford (driven by...

During the 49th annual Daytona 500 auto race Sunday, you can keep your eye on the M&M's Ford (driven by David Gilliland) or on the Jack Daniel's Chevrolet (driven by Clint Bowyer). You can follow the Domino's Pizza Toyota (driven by David Reutimann) or the Miller Lite Dodge (driven by Kurt "No Relation to Anheuser" Busch). You can cheer for the Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge (driven by Bobby Labonte) or, my absolute favorite, the Little Debbie Snack Cake Ford (driven by...

David Gilliland prides himself on his tenacity and persistence. But two years ago, even he figured his goal of reaching the pinnacle of stock car racing, NASCAR's Nextel Cup series, would go unfulfilled. "At that point I was 28 and I thought, `Why am I doing this?'" he said. The Riverside, Calif., native had a winning record in NASCAR's western minor leagues but a Cup ride had eluded him. "I was probably going to quit racing," he said, even though being a Cup driver "had been a dream of mine...